Running is the perfect activity to start exercising again
What’s holding you back from getting yourself back into shape? Gym membership costs, lack of exercise equipment, lack of time? Go outside and start running.
Running doesn’t take any fancy exercise equipment or care how in shape you are. It’s a good way to get yourself back into the fitness habit.
Head outside and start jogging until you get winded, then walk for a bit. When you feel like you can jog again go ahead and jog. Take your smart phone with you and listen to music or podcasts. Set a timer for yourself to jog x amount of minutes before resting for a bit and jogging again.
You’re looking to create a new habit. It’s not important how fast you’re running or how long you’re running. You just want the habit of going outside and breathing a bit heavy. Keep it safe though. You should be able to carry on a conversation with someone while you’re jogging. If you can’t slow it down a bit.
Solidifying the habit
Try to get yourself outside to run at least twice a week. Pick two times you can dedicate to this new habit. 15 minutes a day, twice a week can get you started on getting back into shape. It doesn’t matter what time you pick, be it before work, after work, during your lunch break, the weekend. Just pick two times and hold yourself to it. These are the times you promise you’re going to get outside and go.
Find a friend or post to social media. Make sure you have someone holding you accountable. Ask your friend(s) to follow up on whether or not you went for your run for the day. This will serve as additional motivation for you to get out and go.
Now that it’s a habit
Once you’ve picked up the habit you can start transitioning into other routines if you’d like. Maybe running becomes something you start to enjoy and you keep it up as a habit. If it’s distance running, perhaps you start training for a 5K or 10K. If you’re into shorter distances and trying to work up your cardio, look into track exercises and sprinting.
Talk to people at work about your new habit / hobby. Those that are into exercising fall into a certain “clique” and are always happy to welcome more people into the group. You’ll find people to chat and run with, which will not only improve your physical appearance, but improve your social / work network putting more people in your corner to help you out when and where needed. It’s a little extra bonus that isn’t thought of when getting back into the fitness lifestyle.
Helpful Apps
I personally use the android app Interval Training Timer to set up exercise and break routines and the Strava app to track distances. Strava turns running or cycling into a game, keeping track of where you’ve gone and how long it took you to do certain “segments” in the area so you can compete against yourself or others during your routines.
